That's My Story

FULL MOON – SCHMULL MOON! JUST GO FISH!

Originally published in Western Outdoor News the week of Feb. 18, 2008

I’m back in Baja at the moment, but for the last 6 weeks, I’ve been bopping around the western U.S. attending all these great outdoor fishing and hunting shows. Let me tell you.

The U.S. has been going through some of the most outrageous winter weather in 2008 and there’s nothing like traveling through places like Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Idaho when it’s 20 degrees below zero. The wind is blowing another 60 mph and the blizzard completely blots out the road in front of you!

All-in-all, we’ve had a great time and our upcoming shows in Seattle, Long Beach and Salt Lake City promise not to be so nasty. However, after these shows, I have nothing but the healthiest of respect for you truck drivers and other carriers out there who deliver the load every single day on these roads through the worst of conditions.

Of course, these shows have a lot to do with folks looking to make vacation plans to Baja for the upcoming year. Right next to, “What’s the best times of year to come down?” I get, “So does a full moon make any difference in the fishing?”

I guess my take on the full moon is a bit slanted.

Anyone in the business of taking people fishing can back me up on this. Whether the moon is full, half or half-crocked, it’s our jobs to put people on fish. We don’t have the luxury of telling you, “Nah, don’t come down those dates, Mr. Smith, the moon is full.”

A fishing day is a fishing day. Our livelihood depends on our success. Our success determines whether anyone ever comes back. I know I’m really reaching for excuses when I pull out the, “It’s-because-the-moon-is-full” excuse. So I don’t. I’ll blame currents, wind , shabby bait or bad burrito lunches before I use the moon as an excuse.

As one of my colleagues once told me, “Using the moon as an excuse is for people who can’t fish and you better get out of the business.”

So, let me put in my two cents since so many have asked me.

I used to always try to fish the dark of the moon before I got into the business. It was habit. It was luck. It was superstition. Whatever. I usually did well. Better than most, but sometimes you gotta fish whenever the window of opportunity presents itself.

If the boss or significant-other gives you a pass and the moon is full, you don’t turn that down. You go fishing. “Sorry, Honey, I’d rather mow the lawn than go fishing with the guys because the moon is full.” NOT!

I have been fishing most of my life and fishing the Baja for several decades. In the last 10 years alone, I’ve fished as many as 300 or more days. That’s more than most folks will fish in their lifetimes.

Some of the most incredible fishing in my life has taken place when the moon was in it’s blazing glory. No rhyme. No reason. When the fish are hungry and you have the right bait and you present it to them just right, they’re gonna eat.

Even moreso in Baja. Perhaps the tuna might take a powder, but there’s a zillion other species like roosterfish or pargo or yellowtail that would be happy to chase your feather or inhale your caballito. The beauty of fishing Baja is that there’s always something biting!

But there’s another theory I have and I’ve watched this for years.

Yes, a lot of fish are caught during the darker moon phases. I see that yearly here in La Paz where I am located. But, there’s also a lot more fishermen here during those darker moon phases. If the bite is on for say, dorado, then by sheer numbers of lines in the water, the dorado counts will look outstanding. No doubt.

However, when the moon is in it’s brighter phases, there are overall fewer anglers on the water. Fewers lines, boats, and less traffic on the honey holes. However, check how many fish are being caught PER ROD! That’s the key. So what if 20 boats catch 4 fish per boat and you only get two? Even though the counts show 80 fish, that’s a long day between fish. When there’s less traffic on the water, I’d rather see 10 boats catch 8 fish each!

What I’ve seen is that there are more fish per angler! Fewer anglers catching more fish per person. I like those numbers a lot.

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.